Defoe gives England new belief

England found their shape, their belief and their way along the road towards the 2006 World Cup finals last night, overcoming Poland with some pleasing, passing football and an inspired display by the goalscoring Jermain Defoe. With Defoe in attack and Paul Robinson in goal, England earned their spurs last night.

Barring the lax concentration that allowed Maciej Zurawski to equalise briefly, England showed commendable intelligence and focus all over the park. Ashley Cole was superb at left-back, dovetailing well with Wayne Bridge and helping force England's second goal. David Beckham, much criticized of late, delivered a mature, if unspectacular performance, keeping his position on the right and playing an important part in Defoe's fine strike.

Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard shuttled back and forth like smooth pistons, Gerrard in particular giving an immense contribution, relentlessly hounding opponents and making some crucial interceptions. Gerrard was so commanding that the Poles eventually resorted to violence in an attempt to stop him; Michal Zewlakov blatantly caught Gerrard in the face with his elbow.

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Sven-Goran Eriksson's decision to replace Alan Smith's physical presence with the wriggling wiles of Defoe was vindicated after 36 minutes of a thoroughly satisfactory opening half for England. The Tottenham striker is such a jack in the box, so quick and nimble that he scares defenders.

When a Beckham free-kick was headed out, Defoe remained in the danger zone, clearly realising the enduring potential of the situation.

John Terry played the ball to Beckham, who saw Defoe had made himself available. Beckham's pass was true, arrowing to the young No 9. Defoe turned his marker brilliantly, his speed of thought and body too much for startled Polish foe, and his finish was terrific. Jerzy Dudek stood no chance as the ball raced past him into the net.

The tiny figure of Defoe immediately disappeared under a throng of jubilating team-mates. Sadly, a small number of England fans took their celebrations too far and sought to goad the Polish contingent standing next to them. A fence and a line of riot police prevented any trouble escalating.

If the electric Defoe had any doubt he had arrived on the international stage, it was removed seconds later when he was scythed down by the most agricultural of challenges from the Lens centre-half, Jacek Bak. Stefano Farina surprisingly failed to caution Bak.

Having claimed the lead, the concern for England was in keeping it, given their abysmal recent record. Three times in the previous six games, England have surrendered advantages. Once again, they yielded, this time shortly after the interval. Once again, poor concentration cost England dear. Momentary lapses of focus in midfield and at the back gave Poland their chance.

First Mariusz Lewandowski broke through, in turn releasing Kamil Kosowski, who had hitherto given little impression of understanding the arts of accurate distribution. Poland's long-haired No 11 judged his delivery to perfection, sliding the ball through the middle as Ledley King and Terry tried to regain their sentry positions. Too late. Zurawski nipped in and comfortably beat Robinson.

England needed to show character and they did, building a bright move down the left, rooted in Gerrard's determination to drive the team forward. The Liverpool captain passed to Cole, who whipped in a low left-footed cross that caused complete panic in Dudek's box. So much panic that Glowacki turned the ball in under pressure from Michael Owen and Lampard.

Gerrard swiftly returned to the fray, ensuring that England kept moving the ball around purposefully. To bring the best out of such short attackers as Owen and Defoe, England's midfielder played shorter, lower passes, looking for feet rather than head, a thoroughly welcome development. England looked a proper passing team, albeit still prone to the occasional long pass. At least they were showing more care in possession, an encouraging sign for the blossoming of the team.

Further good news for England came from Wales qualifier against Northern Ireland; Robbie Savage's dismissal means the feisty Birmingham City midfielder will miss the Old Trafford tie on Oct 9.

But as well as the assured handling of Robinson, brought in for the dropped David James, the night's most uplifting news was the startling impact of Defoe.